The New York Knicks, invigorated after two decades of struggles, have executed a pair of impactful trades to bolster their playoff push. Following a season that saw them finish 2nd in the Eastern Conference and push the Pacers to a Game 7 in the second round, the Knicks identified a key missing piece and swung a deal to acquire the ultra-reliable star Mikal Bridges.
In a separate Knicks trade, they also landed the formidable point guard Keita Bates-Diop, adding depth to their backcourt by acquiring him from cross-town rivals, the Brooklyn Nets. Now boasting a core that dominated opponents throughout their college days, the Knicks appear primed for their first finals appearance in the 21st century.
New York Knicks Key Trade Overview
The Knicks trade for Mikal Bridges included Keita Bates-Diop as previously mentioned, 2026 2nd-round pick, and the draft rights for Juan Pablo Vaulet. The Brooklyn Nets received 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031 1st-round unprotected picks, plus an unprotected pick swap from 2028, a 2nd-round pick for 2025, and three players in Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, in addition to Shake Milton.
Immediate Impact on Team Performance
Now that the Knicks have 4 starters from Villonova’s March Madness squad on their roster, the addition of Mikal Bridges is far and away the most genius move they have made in over 10 years. A traditional small forward who can maximize his ability throughout the season, Bridges averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last year on 37.2% shooting from beyond the arc.
Having the ability of him playing all 82 games, incredibly done 6 seasons in a row, gives them so much leverage to free up OG Anunoby and play him as a true shooting guard. Also, with Anunoby only being available for 50 games last year, the Knicks heavily struggled in the playoffs trying to put Josh Hart at such an unconventional position with number one shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic injuring himself during 1st-round play.
Trade of Mikal Bridges Frees up OG Anunoby
Anunoby, 39.4% from three, will now be their go-to catch and shoot guy from deep range in clutch moments along with backcourt mate Jalen Brunson, 28.7 points per game and 40.1% three point shooting percentage last year. On top of that, Bridges adds a lot of size at 6’ 6” and gives about 35+ minutes a night which could help Julius Randle.
Tom Thibdeaou, the New York Knicks head coach, will install a starting lineup of Jalen Brunson at point guard, OG Anunoby at shooting guard, Mikal Bridges at small forward, Mitchell Robinson at center, and Julius Randle at power forward.
This trade will really help the group become more of a rebounding team leading to better second opportunity looks with Bridges being able to consistently grab boards and knock threes plus mid-range shots in crunch time frequently since Bridges should give them at least 15 a night on top of Anunoby playing a preferred position that could pose a lethal issue for defenders.
Donte Divencenzo, Josh Hart, and Keita-Bates Diop could possibly be part of one of the best benches this season. Since they all had massive starting roles last season and defenses will have to worry about all 5 Knicks on the court.
The Knicks Trade has Long-term Implications
After this Knicks trade and the re-signing for OG Anunoby New York are currently have $ -49,234,902 in cap space. Which means that this group not performing over the next 2 to 3 years could spell trouble. Since most of their guys like Donte Divencenzo, Mitchell Robinson, and Jalen Brunson will be looking for third or fourth contracts. They could end up being extremely expensive which the Knicks could possibly not afford to pay.
If they do at least get to one finals appearances together. Many players’ morales could be boosted and could take contract cuts as no one on their team is currently over 30 yet. The deep playoff runs and hard work from coaches will matter because if they somehow do falter. The Knicks could be left in a nightmare situation having to pay millions in dead cap on top of having 0 picks to cancel it out.
The real long-term plans should be to keep this group together for at least the next 5 to 6 years. Then build to the draft, but it could be very interesting to see how things work out with them not having too many assets to work with for the Knicks to trade right now.
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